A foster family claim they were told they would have to live without hot water for more than three weeks due to an "insufficient water supply".

The Warwickshire fosterer, who wanted to remain anonymous, currently has three teenagers in her care.

After noticing the lack of hot water when she arrived home from holiday last week, she told CoventryLive on Friday (August 17) that Severn Trent said they would be unable to send someone out to the property for three weeks.

Severn Trent, however, said they are looking into sending someone sooner.

'This is England'

The carer said: "We came back from holiday and our boiler wasn't functioning.

"We've been told there isn't a sufficient water supply so we've got no hot water and only a trickle of cold.

"We've got three looked-after children in the house with us, who are going to be wanting showers.

"We're not getting a proper supply at all - if someone's showering and you flush the toilet the shower goes off."

(Image: Water bills in Coventry and Warwickshire are among the lowest in the country.)

She said after speaking to a manager at Severn Trent, it was confirmed to her that September 7 was the earliest someone could come out to them.

She said: "It's terrible. I was shocked. This is water. We're living in England - it shouldn't be like this.

"How can they do this to people?

"They should be responsive to people who are in special circumstances. What if I was nursing someone who was ill or something?"

She also claimed several neighbours on the same street had been complaining of similar problems.

What did Severn Trent say?

A Severn Trent spokesperson on Friday (August 17) said: “We’re working to get someone to visit the customer as soon as possible to identify what’s causing lower pressure than normal in her home.

“We’re not aware of any other issues in the area at this time and it’s possible the issue could be caused by a problem on a private pipe.”